Best movies on Netflix (Japon) : our Top 20

2001 · Hayao Miyazaki

Chihiro finds herself stranded in a strange realm of spirits, and when her parents are mysteriously transformed into other beings, she must summon unexpected courage to brave the enchanted world, confront its challenges, and win her family back.

With Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Bunta Sugawara, Akio Nakamura, Yumi Tamai and Ryunosuke Kamiki

2004 · Hayao Miyazaki

A young hatmaker is cursed by a mysterious witch who enters her shop and ages her into an old woman overnight. Forced to leave her old life behind, she crosses paths with the elusive wizard Howl and becomes swept up in his efforts to evade the king’s demands for magical service, drawn into a dangerous struggle that challenges both their destinies.

With Chieko Baisho, Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa, Tatsuya Gashûin, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mitsunori Isaki and Yo Oizumi

1997 · Hayao Miyazaki

Afflicted by a curse from a boar spirit, Ashitaka — a young prince of a fading tribe — travels west in search of a cure. His journey brings him into contact with San, a fierce human woman who fights to defend the forest, and Lady Eboshi, an ambitious leader bent on clearing the land for progress. Torn between their opposing aims, Ashitaka must find a way to bridge the divide and restore balance between people and nature.

With Youji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yūko Tanaka, Kaoru Kobayashi, Masahiko Nishimura, Tsunehiko Kamijô and Akihiro Miwa

1988 · Isao Takahata

During the closing months of World War II, fourteen-year-old Seita and his younger sister Setsuko become orphans after their mother is killed in a bombing raid on Kobe. After a dispute with their aunt, the siblings take refuge in an abandoned air-raid shelter. With no remaining relatives and their emergency provisions exhausted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive amid the ruins.

With Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi, Kozo Hashida, Masayo Sakai and Masayo Sakai

1988 · Hayao Miyazaki

After moving to the countryside with their father to be nearer their mother in hospital, two sisters discover that the nearby woods are alive with gentle, magical creatures called Totoros. When the younger girl slips away from home, her sister turns to those forest spirits for help in finding her.

With Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Hitoshi Takagi, Shigesato Itoi, Sumi Shimamoto, Tanie Kitabayashi and Toshiyuki Amagasa

2003 · Edward Zwick

Nathan Algren, an American veteran brought to Japan to teach modern military tactics, gradually becomes moved by the samurai’s discipline and code of honor. Faced with a drive to erase their traditions for the sake of progress and open trade, he abandons his original role, embraces the samurai way, and takes up arms to defend their right to endure.

With Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Timothy Spall, Tony Goldwyn, Hiroyuki Sanada, Koyuki and Shin Koyamada

1989 · Hayao Miyazaki

During a required year of independence, a young witch struggles to find her place in a wary small town while supporting herself by operating a modest air courier service.

With Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi, Keiko Toda, Mieko Nobusawa, Koichi Miura and Haruko Katō

1986 · Hayao Miyazaki

A curious boy and a brave girl, bound by a mysterious crystal, embark on a perilous quest to find a fabled castle that drifts above the clouds, racing across seas and skies while outsmarting ruthless pirates and covert foreign agents determined to seize the secret for themselves.

With Keiko Yokozawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Minori Terada, Kotoe Hatsui, Fujio Tokita, Ichiro Nagai and Hiroshi Ito

2023 · Takashi Yamazaki

In the aftermath of a war-ravaged Japan, Godzilla reappears to unleash fresh devastation across an already ruined landscape. With neither military support nor government aid forthcoming, the scattered survivors must unite, resist despair, and mount a desperate stand against the relentless terror.

With Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando and Kuranosuke Sasaki

2023 · Hayao Miyazaki

During World War II, teenage Mahito—still reeling from his mother's tragic death—is sent from Tokyo to the quiet countryside to live with his new stepmother, Natsuko, whose uncanny resemblance to his mother unsettles him. As he tries to find his footing in this unfamiliar household, a persistent gray heron begins to appear at the margins of his days, its eerie presence both puzzling and tormenting, seemingly fixated on him and calling him "the long-awaited one."

With Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Takuya Kimura and Keiko Takeshita

2023 · Ayataka Tanemura

A fearless boy born without magic dreams of becoming the Wizard King, but his quest is upended when four banished sorcerer-kings return to unleash destruction on the Clover Kingdom, forcing him to rise and defend his people.

With Gakuto Kajiwara, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Junichi Suwabe, Kana Yuuki, Toshihiko Seki, Toshiyuki Morikawa and Hochu Otsuka

2024 · Shannon Tindle

A celebrated athlete is summoned back to his hometown and reluctantly inherits his father’s role as Ultraman. Forced to master extraordinary abilities, he defends Tokyo from towering monsters and, through sacrifice and courage, forges a heroic legacy.

With Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young and Julia Harriman

2016 · Duncan Jones

Azeroth’s tranquil societies teeter on the verge of war when a fearsome horde of orc warriors—desperate refugees from a dying homeland—arrive bent on claiming new lands. A suddenly opened rift links the two worlds and sets them on a collision course: one army faces obliteration while an entire people risks extinction. From opposite sides, two champions are drawn into a decisive confrontation that will determine the survival of their loved ones, their cultures, and the world they call home.

With Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Ben Schnetzer, Toby Kebbell and Robert Kazinsky

2021 · Kenji Nagasaki

A clandestine group called Humarize has adopted the "Quirk Singularity" doomsday belief—that as Quirks become increasingly intermixed across future generations, they will unleash a catastrophic force capable of ending humanity. To prevent this apocalypse, Pro Heroes worldwide turn to the next generation, recruiting top students from U.A. Academy to form an elite, international team of trainee heroes. Thrust into the most dangerous crisis their world has ever seen, these young heroes must confront Humarize and fight to secure both the planet’s survival and the future of hero society.

With Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Yuki Kaji, Ryo Yoshizawa, Kazuya Nakai, Megumi Hayashibara and Kenta Miyake

2022 · Hiroyasu Ishida

During a life-changing summer, a handful of elementary-school children become stranded on a deserted, drifting apartment block and must confront their fears, draw on their inner strengths, and rely on one another to find a way back home.

With Mutsumi Tamura, Asami Seto, Ayumu Murase, Daiki Yamashita, Yumiko Kobayashi, Inori Minase and Kana Hanazawa

1995 · Sam Raimi

An enigmatic woman arrives to vie in a ruthless quick-draw knockout tournament staged in a town dominated by an infamous gunslinger.

With Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobin Bell, Roberts Blossom and Kevin Conway

1993 · Tomomi Mochizuki

At Kichijōji Station in Tokyo, Taku Morisaki catches sight of a woman he seems to know standing on the opposite platform as a train arrives. Later, moments before leaving his apartment to catch a flight to Kōchi Prefecture, a photograph of her slips from a shelf. He picks it up, studies it for a beat, then heads to the airport. As the plane lifts off, he begins to tell the story of how she entered his life.

With Nobuo Tobita, Yoko Sakamoto, Toshihiko Seki, Yuri Amano, Kae Araki, Jun'ichi Kanemaru and Ai Satou

2025 · Keishi Otomo

Two dancers from contrasting worlds—one disciplined and reserved, the other spontaneous and fiercely independent—agree to pair up for a high-stakes competition. Their early rehearsals are tense and marked by clashing styles, but as they challenge and inspire one another, rivalry gives way to a powerful, unexpected attraction.

With Ryoma Takeuchi, Keita Machida, Shiori Doi, Anna Ishii, Shinya Hamada, Oshirō Maeda and Nadiya Bychkova

2012 · Chris Renaud

A twelve-year-old boy sets off to find the one thing he believes will win the heart of his crush; to obtain it, he must uncover the tale of the Lorax, a grumpy yet endearing guardian who fights to protect his world.

With Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Rob Riggle, Taylor Swift, Jenny Slate and Betty White

2013 · Isao Takahata

Iroha’s predictable life is upended when Kaguya, a free-spirited runaway from the Moon, arrives to live with her and convinces her to team up as performers in a vibrant virtual world.

With Aki Asakura, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto, Kengo Kora, Atsuko Takahata, Tomoko Tabata and Shinosuke Tatekawa